Music as Intervention
From scientific evidence to therapeutic protocols
40Hz is a research project conceived and coordinated by Francesco Piccolomini Naldi Bandini, developed to explore how music, when informed by neuroscience, can move beyond artistic expression and become a measurable, non-pharmacological tool for wellbeing.
In the near future, music will no longer be experienced only as entertainment or cultural production. It will increasingly be designed, tested and delivered as part of structured therapeutic and preventive protocols. This transition is already underway. Over the past decade, neuroscience has demonstrated that sound, when shaped through specific frequencies, temporal structures and amplitudes, can produce measurable effects on brain activity, cognition and perception.
Among these discoveries, gamma-band activity, and in particular stimulation around 40 Hz, has emerged as a key area of investigation. In 2019, a landmark study published in Nature by the team led by Professor Li-Huei Tsai at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that sensory stimulation at 40 Hz could significantly reduce amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease models. Subsequent studies, including a 2021 publication in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, confirmed improvements in cognitive and memory functions through synchronized 40 Hz audio-visual stimulation.
Further research conducted at institutions such as the University of Toronto and the University of Helsinki extended these findings to anxiety, stress regulation and chronic pain, reinforcing the role of rhythmic and frequency-based stimulation in modulating neural synchronization.
These results raised a question that could not be addressed within laboratory isolation alone: what happens when 40 Hz is no longer treated as a pure stimulus, but embedded within complex musical structures, experienced over time and in real listening environments?
From frequency to music
40Hz was created to investigate this question.
Developed within the Musical Atelier of Casa degli Artisti in Milan, the project was conceived as an open research platform bringing together artists, producers, neuroscientists, researchers and the public. Rather than replicating controlled laboratory conditions, 40Hz adopted an ecological approach, exploring how sub-frequencies behave when integrated into extended musical compositions and experienced collectively.
During Phase 1, completed in 2025, a group of artists and sound collectives took part in research residencies structured around long-form compositions of approximately thirty minutes. Novecento explored dense harmonic architectures and gradual perceptual shifts. Les Biologistes Marins worked with environmental and water-based sound sources, focusing on immersion and continuity. IDRA investigated rhythmic modulation and repetition as tools for sustaining perceptual engagement. Keyclef developed minimalist electronic structures emphasizing precision and clarity. Pareal explored fragile balances between melody, noise and resonance. MachineMachines introduced a performative and rhythmic dimension, testing mechanical repetition and temporal insistence. BAAB, involved in the project’s early exploratory phase, contributed to shaping the initial research questions and constraints.
Artists worked in close dialogue with producers such as Taketo Gohara, Poche Cltv, Brail and Mamakass, whose role extended beyond technical production, helping translate the emerging protocol into coherent musical forms while preserving artistic identity.
Scientific Supervision and Methodology – Phase 1
From its inception, 40Hz operated under continuous scientific supervision, ensuring that artistic experimentation and research rigor could coexist. The methodological framework of Phase 1 was coordinated by neuroscientist Sasha D’Ambrosio, who oversaw research design and validation, defining the parameters within which musical experimentation could remain scientifically meaningful.
A central role in bridging artistic practice and scientific analysis was played by Thiago Leiros Costa, neuroscientist and psychologist, responsible for behavioral assessment tools, structured questionnaires and interpretation of subjective responses. EEG data acquisition and analysis were conducted by Simone Frettoli and William Geroldini, using portable systems that allowed measurements to take place during real listening experiences rather than in laboratory isolation.
Phase 1 unfolded through months of residencies, public listening sessions and live presentations, culminating during Milano Music Week. Across this period, a multidisciplinary team of approximately thirty people formed around the project, including artists, producers, neuroscientists, researchers, collaborators and volunteers. This collective dimension was integral to the research model, allowing artistic production, public engagement and scientific measurement to coexist within the same framework.
Behavioral data showed consistent trends aligned with the initial hypotheses, including reductions in perceived tension and intrusive thoughts, improvements in breathing perception and overall mood, and a recurring sense of increased clarity reported by participants. These effects emerged across different artistic approaches, suggesting that the impact was linked to the shared compositional framework rather than to a specific aesthetic language.
EEG data analysis is currently ongoing and will be published in early 2026. Phase 1 has therefore been framed as a validation of the research structure itself, demonstrating that musical performance, when structured through shared protocols, can function as a repeatable neuroscientific environment.
Toward Phase 2
Building on the results of Phase 1, the second phase of the 40Hz project will address a more precise set of research questions. If the objective is to determine whether, how and under which conditions sub-frequencies, including those around 40 Hz, generate specific and repeatable effects, Phase 2 represents a decisive step forward.
Phase 2 will introduce systematic comparisons between different frequencies, integrate placebo conditions, and implement precise acoustic measurements, including decibel levels, exposure duration and amplitude modulation. The research will explore dose–response relationships and the persistence of observed effects over time, expanding EEG recordings and involving larger and recurring participant samples to strengthen statistical robustness.
While Phase 1 demonstrated that scientific rigor and musical creation can coexist, transforming the concert into a tool for neuroscientific investigation, Phase 2 aims to consolidate this approach into a research pathway grounded in measurable and comparable data.
Conclusion
The first phase of the 40Hz project demonstrates that it is possible to combine scientific rigor and musical creation, redefining listening as both an aesthetic and investigative experience. The results obtained open a decisive phase of research, with the ambition of redefining the relationship between music, listening and wellbeing through a model based on empirical evidence.
Music, informed by science, can become part of how we care for the mind.